Presence

The great are sometimes very great and sometimes very small. Inthe soaring space of a symphony hall, the violinist Midori looks momentarily lost. But on any stage, she has presence.In her presence, a roomful of young musicians at the Peabody Conservatory last spring grew silent as Dean Eileen Cline and Rebecca Henry, chair of the preparatory string department, introduced Midori. She had made her concert debut at age 11. Now 19, Midori Goto (she never uses her last name in public) stood at the foot of the stage in North Hall with its high windows and bare wood floor to talk with schoolchildren, high school boys, adolescent girls, at least one of whom, like Midori, hopes fervently to grow taller than her mother.

The signing of a long-delayed bilateral security agreement between the U.S. and Afghanistan today means the U.S. won't again find itself in the same situation it faced two years ago in Iraq, where the failure to reach a similar accord precipitated the withdrawal of all American forces and a rapid deterioration of the security situation. The Afghans can now be assured of continued American military assistance in their struggle against a resurgent Taliban - at least for the next two years, when the agreement must be renewed.

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. generals running the war in Iraq presented a new assessment of the military situation in public comments and sworn testimony this week: The 149,000 U.S. troops in Iraq are increasingly part of the problem. During a trip to Washington, the generals said that the presence of U.S. forces was fueling the insurgency, fostering an undesirable dependency on American troops among the nascent Iraqi military and energizing terrorists across the Middle East. For all these reasons, they said, a gradual withdrawal of U.S. troops is imperative.

Shawn Taylor has been on the football coaching staff at Robinson High School in Tampa, Fla., since 2001. The school has produced former Alabama star Javier Arenas as well as other successful Football Bowl Subdivision players. For years, Taylor said, dozens of colleges would stop by and check in about players during the spring. Maryland wasn't really a presence, he said. This year, in particular, is different. The Terps have been down there. They are coming up in conversations.

THE REFERENDUM to reduce the U.S. military presence on poor little Okinawa was a cry from the heart of people who believe themselves second-class citizens of Japan. It may weaken Japan's coalition government because the leading Liberal Democratic Party shows no real sympathy for Okinawans on this issue, while its junior partner, the Social Democratic Party, does.Only three-fifths of eligible Okinawans voted, which is low for a Japanese election. But nine-tenths of those favored reduction of U.S. forces and reduced legal status for them, which is high for any referendum.

Ralph Harper sits on a bench on the Johns Hopkins University campus, a vigorous man of 76, in a tan corduroy jacket and khaki slacks. His hair runs silver to gray, and his eyes are a startling Caribbean-blue. Physically, Mr. Harper slips smoothly into this academic tableau, a professor emeritus perhaps, returning for lunch with the university president, or a visiting lecturer from an Ivy League school.But the tableau disintegrates as soon as Mr. Harper, an adjunct professor of humanities at Johns Hopkins, begins to talk of the lifelong odyssey that has taken him around the world and left him bereft of professional legitimacy.

Ralph Harper sits on a bench on the Johns Hopkins University campus, a vigorous man of 76, in a tan corduroy jacket and khaki slacks. His hair runs silver to gray, and his eyes are a startling Caribbean-blue. Physically, Mr. Harper slips smoothly into this academic tableau, a professor emeritus perhaps, returning for lunch with the university president, or a visiting lecturer from an Ivy League school.But the tableau disintegrates as soon as Mr. Harper, an adjunct professor of humanities at Johns Hopkins, begins to talk of the lifelong odyssey that has taken him around the world and left him bereft of professional legitimacy.

U.S. Foodservice said yesterday that it has acquired St. Louis-based Allen Foods Inc. in an effort to expand its reach in the Midwest. "Allen Foods has been one of the most respected names in the food service business," Robert Gillison, vice president and treasurer of Columbia-based U.S. Foodservice, said yesterday. "We had an opportunity to do a transaction with them, and really beef up our presence in what is one of the best and largest markets in the country." Gillison declined to disclose financial terms of the transaction.

Baltimore-based technology company Barcoding Inc. said Wednesday it has acquired Lake Zurich, Ill.,-based Miles Technologies Inc. for an undisclosed amount in a move to increase its presence in the central United States. The Baltimore company sells bar-coding equipment and other devices. Miles, which has offices in St. Louis and the Chicago market, provides barcode and radio frequency identification equipment used to track products and locate individuals. The company, which has 14 employees, also develops software for warehouse tracking and management.

WHEN THE Academy of American Poets sought nominees to grace commemorative stamps, Langston Hughes far outpolled other lyric notables. The popularity of the Harlem Renaissance poet is but one example of, in the words of biographer Arnold Rampersad, Hughes' "risen presence in the national culture." His poems, novels, short stories, plays, librettos, translations and essays - he covered the Spanish Civil War for The Afro-American newspaper in Baltimore - are being reissued in a 17-volume collection of his works, the first ever.

Sylvia "Cookie" Harris, the wife of Rep. Andy Harris and a prominent anti-abortion advocate in Annapolis, died suddenly on Thursday, a spokeswoman for the congressman said. Mrs. Harris, who would have turned 58 this weekend, was a frequent presence in Annapolis, where state lawmakers said she was a forceful advocate for causes she believed in, particularly anti-abortion policies. "She was an amazing and wonderful woman, a fabulous mother and very supportive of Andy in all that he did," said Diana Waterman, chairwoman of the Maryland Republican Party.

Arnold M. Jolivet, a longtime advocate for minority- and women-owned businesses who was a familiar presence at City Hall, died of complications from heart disease Sunday morning at Sinai Hospital. The Village of Cross Keys resident was 71. "Mr. Jolivet was a consistent, devoted and vocal champion for minority businesses," Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said in a statement. "His unapologetic approach to overcoming obstacles will always be his legacy. He understood, as I do, that progress cannot be achieved without economic parity for minority-owned businesses.

Derrick "OOH" Jones, aka Yo Slick and member of the influential Baltimore rap group Brown F.I.S.H., died Sunday. He was 38. Al Shipley's obituary in City Paper , which first reported Jones' death (cause of death has not yet been released), is essential reading to understand Jones' impact on Baltimore. Jones was an excellent rapper and live performer, but his reach extended well beyond hip-hop fans. He was a teacher at Gilmor Elementary and the director of the Baltimore Youth Advocate Program.

It was just a moment of poor teenage judgment: One student threw a marker across a classroom at Digital Harbor High, sparking an argument between a Latino student and a black student. Since they couldn't fight in class, they agreed to meet after school on Federal Hill. The fight was a nasty one, and the Latino boy was sent to the hospital with a concussion. Then word spread, and though school leaders believe the incident wasn't about race, it was impressions that mattered last week.

In reference to the article, "Obama readies Afghan exit" (May 28), and speaking as a retired educator and a retired U.S. Navy officer who served on active duty in World War II over five years in the Pacific and later recalled in 1950 for three more years during the Korean War, I completely disagree with President Barack Obama's decision to withdraw our military forces from Afghanistan and the surrounding areas by the end of 2016. Personally, I believe it to be only a political maneuver in order to enhance the election of more Democratic officials in 21016.

Known for some of the most prolific offenses in NCAA history, Duke is no slouch on defense either. For the seventh time in the past eight years, the defense ended a season by giving up an average of less than 10 goals. Some of the credit goes to volunteer assistant coach Ben DeLuca. The former Cornell head coach, who was dismissed from the Big Red in November, replaced former Maryland defenseman Joe Cinosky, who became the defensive coordinator at Mount St. Mary's, and joined the program in February to help defensive coordinator Ron Caputo.

When left tackle Bryant McKinnie reported to Ravens training camp five days late, many figured that 11-year veteran would need some time to get back in shape, but would soon regain his spot on the first offense. That hasn't happened yet. McKinnie is still playing with the second offense while Michael Oher and rookie Kelechi Osemele man the left and right tackle positions, respectively, with the starting offense. McKinnie's presence would appear to set the stage for Oher to return to right tackle and for Osemele to find a spot with the second offense.

Fresh out of Glenelg High, Alex Taylor joined the Salisbury men's lacrosse team for the 2011 season and promptly sought to unseat All-American Johnny Rodriguez for the starting goalie position. The Woodbine native didn't succeed. He got only spot time in eight games, and Rodriguez (Mount St. Joseph) won Goalkeeper of the Year honors. Three years later, Taylor has the job he wanted - as well as perspective. As he prepares to anchor Salisbury's defense for Sunday's NCAA tournament final against Tufts (20-2)

BOSTON -- Even though Orioles first baseman Chris Davis has just one home run three weeks into the season, he has still found a way to be productive in the middle of the lineup. After leading the majors with 53 homers last year, Davis knows that teams are attacking him differently. With two walks and a single in his first three plate appearances Monday, he has now reached safely in 17 straight games, tying his career high. Davis hasn't seen very many pitches to hit. He's not seeing many fastballs, and the ones he does see seem to be consistently inside.